So Like a Rose
by It's Not Mimi. Again
Summary: One shot m/m slash. A murder brings a frind of Harry's back to Hogwarts, and strange things result. An answer to the challenge posed by C. Hallenger. Not gonna tell you the pairing, you'll just have to see!


_Author's Note: This is a one-shot fic which contains m/m slash, so first things first- if you're against it, don't read it. Second, this is actually an answer to a challenge posted by user C. Hallenger, but you don't need to know the context, because the story works on its own. For the curious, however, I'm posting the basic point of the challenge at the end of the fic._

I've decided to not rate this fic high for sex, because as much as I'd like, I'm just not in the right mindset at the moment for quality smut.

_Special note to C. Hallenger: Betcha you've never seen THIS pairing before. :) Enjoy (hopefully)!_

~So Like a Rose~  
  


It was four days before the full moon. The eager almost-orb hung low outside the common-room window, pooling its light upon the floor, almost as if to soften the stark pronunciation of red against red.

He had not been dead for long when she found him. There was fresh blood still on the floor, though it had taken on a slightly thick consistency and no longer ran across the exposed floorboards. The expanse of carpet that was bunched up under the corpse was soaked. As were the victim's clothes. Still life in red. 

The other boy knelt beside the corpse, the knees of his pants covered in blood. In his eyes she saw a blank, flat look which she could not interpret. Her eyes went to his hands, one of which was clutching a thin, glimmering blade, the other grasping a Gryffindor badge, which seemed to have been torn off the corpse's robe.

She breathed in sharply, and he looked at her. There was now desperation in the pools of his eyes, which showed not a hint of animosity, his breath coming in great gasps. 

"Harry…" she whispered.

A single tear sparkled on her cheek.

***

Rustling whispers in the girl's dormitory. It was past midnight. Hermione's bed was empty, and there was yelling in the common room.

"Lavender... psssst, Lavender!"

"…mmmmmph."

"Lavender!!!"

She was not awake. This couldn't be real. It had to at least one in the morning.

"…shhhhh, Parvati. Early. Sleep."

"Hermione's been thrown in Azkaban."

"mm… what 'bout an Ass Cabin?"

"LAVENDER!"

The dark-haired girl suddenly was wide awake. "She's been thrown _where?"_

"Azkaban! Prison! She's killed…"

"Hermione killed… who? Why?"

"…Ron. Killed Ron. I still can't believe it. I peeked into the common room, blood all over, wonder if they've told Ginny…"

They both fell silent. Somebody was sobbing in the next room.

***

Harry opened his eyes. How exactly did he get in his bed? How long had he been asleep? He'd had the most terrible dream.

There was dried blood on his hands. 

He wasted no time… out came the parchment. In former times of need, Harry had always written to his Godfather. But now, now he wasn't so sure. With security on high alert, could he really bring Sirius to the castle? His logical mind was eroding quickly. He had to write to somebody.

Shaking, he pulled out his quill.

_'Lupin…' he began. __'Ask Sirius if it is safe to come…'_

***

"He simply can't be here."

The dark-haired boy sobbed into the tall man's cloak. "I know he couldn't come, that's why I didn't write. I just don't know what to do."

"I'm sorry, Harry." His voice was liquid and calm, as always. "I'm SO sorry, really… he's sent me personally. I'll be here to help you, the best way I can. But, Harry, you must understand. If he comes here now, he'll be caught and thrown in prison, and may never be able to help you again."

This brought a fresh wave of tears. "She's…" his shoulders heaved. "_She's in there."_

"I know."

Remus Lupin didn't mind being back at Hogwarts. If only he could have come under less dire circumstances. His friend's Godson, though… well, the boy was dear to him.

"Why did they think it was Hermione, Harry?" Lupin kept his voice as low as possible. "Just what kind of information did they have that made them think…"

"That's just it." Harry pulled away from Lupin awkwardly. "It should have been ME thrown in prison. I looked suspicious… I found him first. There was a blade, a knife of some kind beside him, with a rose carved in it. I was in shock. I didn't know…" he took a breath. "And she found me like that. She thought I did it."

"And she didn't report you?" said Lupin softly.

"No. She said 'Harry…', not angrily though. Then she took out her wand, and she used 'Petrificus Totalus' on me. I couldn't move. She took the knife…" He could not continue.

Lupin felt blank. What could he say?

There was of, course, nothing.

***

He wandered the halls in a daze, heart as heavy as fog, dragging him inside himself. He was sensitive to the carnal emotions because of his werewolf genes… he could _smell Fear. It lurked behind every corner. He could also sense Confusion, the master to Fear's slave. Out of Confusion, after all, is born Fear. And Hate._

But Lupin didn't believe in Hate, which set him apart. He believed in Anger. And Passion. Oh yes, Passion had been a constant companion when he was younger. But he could never admit to ever hating. Even Peter Pettigrew…

Lupin had his theories about Hate, which Hate probably didn't like much. 

Hate is very charismatic, and has many followers. But Hate is also an empire, and all empires must fall.

"Well… I never thought _you'd be back."_

Lupin looked to where the voice had come from.

"Here to say Weasley's last rights?"

Pale eyes of an electric blue followed Lupin as he continued down the hall, silent. "What's the matter?" he heard before he rounded a corner. "Wolf got your tongue?"

***

At night, the sense of Fear was even stronger. It clapped its hot, dry hand over Lupin, smothering him. Fear was no friend of his.

Out on the grounds, the scream of those emotions dropped to a low hum in the back of his mind. The clouds were high and thin, the stars faint. The swollen moon was grinning, coloured a mellow yellow, with a sticky countenance and Jardial complexion to match. Docile it hung, yet caused Lupin a shiver. He'd have to remember its cycle, so he could take the necessary precautions. 

One of the larger cloud wisps was moving, slowly, to obscure the grinning celestial face. Lupin felt relieved, though he now could barely see. Werewolf senses kicking in, he sniffed the air.

He could smell Fear over in the trees. Concentrated Fear… seems he never could escape it. He waited until the moon re-emerged, then set off towards the forest.

Once he entered, all light was cut off.

In the Dark Forest, one relied on all senses but Sight. Well, Sight was deceiving anyway, reasoned Lupin. He made good use of all other senses.

In reaching out, he called upon the wisdom of Touch. But Touch could be a friend and an enemy.

Lupin's extended fingers brushed something silky, and altogether un-tree-like. Hair. Another human creature. This was the source of the Fear, a Fear tinged with the joyful violence of Victory. 

Lupin sniffed. It was a boy. And he had been sleeping. But not anymore.

It was his sensitivity to emotion that saved him. His hand shot up and caught the arm that had darted out towards him, and felt the tip of something sharp slice his hand as it fell to the ground.

"Easy…" he whispered softly. "I'm not going to hurt you. Don't be afraid."

"I'm not afraid." The boy's voice was haughty, and very familiar.

_~I can smell your fear…~ Lupin thought, a slight smile forming on his lips._

"Let me go!" the boy demanded.

Lupin did NOT let him go. "What on earth are you doing out here, at this hour?" he said. "You know damn well that there's a rule. Your headmaster's said-"

"_Sod the headmaster. I'm old enough to go out on my own. Let me GO!"_

Lupin let the arm go. "There's nowhere to go. There's no light. You'll never find your way out."

"I got in, didn't I?" there was silence, and a scuffling. "Where's my bloody wand?"

"Forget it." Said Lupin. "I'll bring you back to the castle. But I'll have to report this to Dumbledore."

He felt a hand grab his robe and yank. "Hey, don't do that! Dumbledore doesn't get it. I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself."

"You're just a boy." Lupin's tone was soft and dismissive. He turned away, but the boy pulled him back.

"Found it! _Lumos!" a pale light flared up, and Lupin found himself staring down into a pair of eyes that danced with a cold fire. "I'm __not just a boy."_

"Of course not, as proved by the remarkable prestidigitation with which you handle your belongings." He smiled inwardly at the bewilderment that surfaced in the boy's blue eyes. "Right. Until you make use of a more expansive vocabulary, you won't be much of a man. Now, march."

The boy resisted. "I've lost something. I'd just found it when you ambushed me…"

"Ambushed you? You were asleep. Now, you've found your wand. It's your own problem if you've lost something here. Maybe you can get it tomorrow. But tonight, I'm taking you back to the castle."

"I NEED to FIND it!" he snapped, pulling away from Lupin. "I've got to-"

"Look," sighed Lupin, brushing his salt and pepper hair out of his eyes. "If you come with me now, I won't report you to Dumbledore, as long as you don't do it again." He was beginning to feel tired. As full of fear as it was, Hogwarts at least offered physical shelter.

The boy hesitated, then walked ahead of Lupin. "Fine. I'll go. But only because I'm bored with this conversation." The forced indifference was clear in his voice.

Lupin walked back slowly, entering long after the boy's light had disappeared inside the castle walls.

***

Lupin knew he'd find Harry still awake, so he made his way up to the Gryffindor common room. It had been cleaned of course, and any evidence of the murder had been removed.

Harry sat in an armchair by the fire, and Lupin quietly sat down adjacent to him.

"Hi, Remus." Said Harry hoarsely. "Out for a walk?"

"I was in the forest." He replied. "…have you had any news from Sirius?"

"No…" said Harry. "I thought you might have heard from him."

Lupin shook his head. "No." He looked over at the boy. His eyes were swollen but dry. "Are you alright?" he asked. "I mean, considering?"

"Yeah…" he said, shifting in his chair. "Everyone's being really nice to me. Even Malfoy hasn't jibed me about it. I expected him to. He seems almost sorry."

"I saw him today." Said Lupin softly.

"Oh? You did."

"Yes…" he paused for a long while. "Harry, try to get some sleep."

"I will." The boy stood up. "Thank you Remus, for coming here."

"It was the least I could do."

"…I miss Sirius."

Lupin sighed deeply. "So do I."

***

When Lupin awoke the next morning, he discovered a cut on his hand, and remembered the previous night. How strange… 

But he pushed it from his mind, till all that remained were electrically blue eyes, shocking, hypnotic, following him through his day. He found that he could not erase the memory of these eyes. He had seen the Fear and the Victory in them, but also a strange Passion, pale as blue fire, cool as the dawn.

But during the day, his thoughts turned to Hermione, and Harry's dilemma. Harry wanted Hermione back desperately, but nobody believed his story. They were all sympathetic, saying how they understood him covering up for his friend, but that he needed to let justice take its course. Dumbledore had left the school before Harry could talk to him. He was under inquiry by the ministry of magic because of the murder. It was said he would be back by early the next week. The werewolf knew Harry was counting the days.

Lupin, in all truth, felt useless. He couldn't offer the emotional support that Sirius could, and he wasn't any help when it came to finding the actual murderer, because he hadn't been at the school when it happened.

These were the thoughts running through his mind the next night. It was only by chance that he happened to glance out the window of his room, only chance that the moon wasn't covered by a cloud. Only by coincidence did he see the pale figure running across the lawn.

"Not again." Sighed Lupin, getting to his feet. 

***

Never once did he stop to ask himself why he was following the boy back into the woods. He just went, not thinking really, just going. His feet were quiet on the dewy grass.

His nose told him that he was returning to the same place he had been the night before. Yes, it was the same patch of trees, and same part of trail. And the same boy.

"Draco, what are you DOING?"

The boy whirled around, his silver hair whirling gracefully with him. A fleeting look of surprise crossed his face, than was hidden by a sneer. "Following me again, wolf-man? Too useless to do anything else, I guess."

Lupin smiled benignly. "Your jabs are falling short of the tree, Draco. I'd expect better from you."

"I'm busy." Draco said shortly. "Leave me alone." There was something odd in his electric eyes.

He caught the boy's gaze, and held it. There were more to those eyes than just ice, though one had to look a lot deeper… soon Draco's glare softened against his will. It flirted briefly with Curiosity, then switched to Inquiry, then went on to Recognition. The boy's eyes widened and he opened his mouth to speak when Lupin abruptly broke eye contact.

"I guess we understand each other, then." Said the older man easily. "I'll go." He turned to saunter off. He only made it a few paces when he heard the boy run, felt him seize his robes… he turned to brush away the hands but instead found them, and the arms attached to them, flung around his neck.

And the boy was kissing him.

There was no contemplation, so heavy pause. One moment they were apart, the next, together. The boy seemed so earnest and fierce at the same time, and, although his rational mind was screaming at him so break the kiss, Lupin could not help but lean into it. 

_~It's just, the way he is, his hair against my cheek… and I can feel that cold fire that I see in his eyes, I can feel it through his fingertips, buzzing on his lips…~ Thought Remus, incomprehensibly._

Passion spoke to him again through this boy, Passion he assumed had abandoned him forever. The carnal emotions. The emotions of the human animal. As the boy pressed against him he could feel the beginnings of Desire. Like a man drowning, Lupin surfaced desperately for one last breath of air before grim destiny took hold.

"Hold it!" he gasped. "You're not-"

The boy smiled, and Lupin saw his doom. The next thing he knew, Draco had thrown himself upon him again. They both fell to the ground, and the boy pinned him down with his arms.

"Okay, wolf-man…" he said fiercely, grinning. "Show me some of your tricks."

***

Lupin woke up with the sun in his eyes and a root digging into his back. He groaned, and tried to turn over, which proved impossible as there was somebody on top of him.

He took a moment to examine the sleeping boy in the daylight. His skin was so pale it was almost blue, only a shade or two lighter than his hair. He contrasted oddly with Lupin, who was a light shade of tan.

He realized with sudden insight that the boy was beautiful. At least, when he wasn't saying something horrid or insulting. His neck was long and graceful, his shoulders sharply defined beneath alabaster skin, his hair (when not slicked back) just a bit shaggy, so it hung over his forehead. He had long legs, and was a touch on the thin side. Effeminate, maybe, handsome, no… beautiful, yes.

Awake, yes. Draco's eyes snapped open, and he jumped to his feet. "YOU!" he cried, pointing at Lupin. "You raped me!"

"… Eh?! What?!"

The boy dissolved into laughter. "I was just kidding, stupid."

Lupin massaged his forehead. "It wasn't funny."

"No? Well _I thought it was."_

"Yes, I'm sure you did."

The boy started collecting his clothes, then changed his mind and sat down beside Lupin.

"I'm sore…" He proclaimed.

"Well, I'm sorry." This was turning into a nightmare.

"You should be." Draco folded his arms across his narrow chest. "I'm only seventeen. Young. Probably not even legal."

Lupin smiled slightly. "Didn't you say to me that you weren't 'just a boy'?"

But Draco had already moved on to a different topic. "What is your name anyway?" he said, picking dirt out from under his fingernails. "I was never quite sure."

"Remus."

"Oh…" he giggled. "Funny name."

"Thank you."

"Well… Remus… can we go back to the castle now? I'm hungry."

Once they were both clothed, they started back, Lupin glancing at the boy occasionally, as if to try and figure out what exactly made him tick.

"Draco," he said finally. "What… what just happened? Because I have no idea, so if you could kindly explain-"

"Oh don't be stupid, wolf-man," snapped the boy, tossing his hair. He seemed to have abandoned the use of Lupin's real name just as quickly as he'd adopted it. "It's quite clear. We just had a little… shall we say… encounter. Nothing much… just some fun to alleviate the dull monotony of school life." The nonchalance with which he said it seemed almost forced, although he did seem decided on the subject.

***

But Draco was back the next night, knocking on Lupin's door.

The older man couldn't help but smile when, upon the opening of the door the boy strode across the room and plonked himself down on the bed. 

He bounced a bit. "Mmmmm," he said. "Springy! I quite like it. Yes, it'll do."

"Oh, are you my decorator now?" said Lupin, folding his arms over his chest and leaning against the door-frame.

"No, just trying to be an arbiter of good taste. Time somebody did it for you. I mean really, wolf-man, your wardrobe is just downright _shabby. No wonder my father didn't approve of you teaching at this school." He paused for a moment, then gave Lupin a look that appeared to be a cross between a pout and a glare. "Well, aren't you going to say hello?"_

"Hello, Draco."

"Hello, wolf-man. As you can see, I've decided to see you again."

Lupin walked over to the bed and sat beside the boy. "I suppose," he said, half-smiling, "That you have nothing better to do."

Draco's smile faded, and tentatively reached up, his fingertips brushing the older man's cheek. "Kiss me." He said, quietly… it was not the loud command that was typical of him.

And Lupin did kiss him, and again they were both seized by the Desire they'd felt the night before. Draco was more aggressive this time, letting his hands slide along the other man's body freely, leaving, as it seemed to the werewolf, invisible trails of electricity wherever they wandered. And judging from the boy's eager whispered words, there was no going back.

After it was over, they lay together on the bed, facing each other just inches apart… Lupin could feel the heat radiating off the boy's pale skin, which seemed to glow in the dark. He was almost afraid to touch the luminous creature, afraid he might ruin some delicate balance. But the boy seemed asleep, and Lupin reached out, touched the silver hair with his fingertips.

Draco sighed in his sleep and moved forward, laying his head in the cradle of Lupin's arm. The older man was just beginning to drift off when a soft voice whispered,

"Remus?"

"Yes?"

"Do you like me?"

Lupin almost laughed. "Of course I like you. Why would you ask such a thing? You wouldn't be here if I didn't like you." He paused. The boy was breathing slow and soft, but he could swear that a tear had slipped from under his eyelid.

Lupin hesitated, unsure of what to do. He decided to brush the tear away.

***

The news the next day was better than it had ever been. Dumbledore was coming back that evening, having been cleared of his negligence charges. For the first time since he'd been there, Lupin actually saw Harry smile a genuine smile.

Enjoying the good emotions generated by Dumbledore's return and Harry's optimism, and feeling that Harry had absolutely no use for him at all, Lupin decided to take a walk over the Hogwarts grounds and get a little sun, which he hadn't really seen much of. He strolled slowly around the lake, visited the Quidditch pitch to briefly watch Ravenclaw practise for their next game.

Through pure coincidence, he ended up at the edge of the Dark forest, which really wasn't all that foreboding in the daylight. Out of whimsy, he decided to visit the spot where, two nights ago, he and Draco had had their… encounter.

The grove was not hard to find, and Lupin sat down comfortably under the tree where Draco has slept that first night. He knew it by smell.

A root was jabbing him quite hard in the leg. It took him a moment of shifting around to realize that, well, it wasn't a root… it wasn't attached to the tree. Reaching down, he yanked it out of the tangle of vines and leaves. It was a short, very thin, very sharp knife, and entwining the keen blade was the ornate carving of a rose, in full bloom.

Lupin stared at the knife. Then he looked at his left hand, at the cut that was healing there. "Lost something…" he whispered.

He stayed there in the forest, and did not move.

***

"Potter!" said a voice sharply, startling Harry out of his reverie. He was waiting at the window of the library where he could see the lake, awaiting Dumbledore's return.

Harry turned, irritably. "What is it you want, Malfoy?"

"Where's your werewolf friend?" said Draco. "I haven't seen him in the castle all day."

"I don't know." Said Harry. "I saw him walking into the forest, but that was ages ago. I'm sure he's back in his room." He squinted suspiciously. "Why? What's it to you?"

"He's not in his room, Potter. That's the first place I checked." He was already turning to go.

Harry waited till the library door had slammed, and Draco's footsteps receded. Then he pulled out his wand.

"Accio invisibility cloak." He said quietly.

***

"Remus!" the voice was loud and urgent. "Remus, where are you?"

Lupin barely stirred beneath the tree, directing his eyes in the direction of the voice. It was Draco- he knew it even before he looked. It was dark, but there was a band of pale light on the horizon, and he could see the dim outline of the boy as he drew nearer.

He waited till Draco was almost past him to speak. "I'm here." He said. His voice was strong and even.

Draco stopped, turned, and walked back to the tree. "You've been gone all day." His voice was accusatory, but there was a subtle hint of desperation in it as well.

"You had classes, Draco. How would you know that?"

The boy frowned. "I didn't go to classes. I was looking for you. I had to… tell you about… something."

Lupin patted the ground beside him. "Sit." He said. "And you can tell me."

Draco sat, and leaned his head against Lupin's shoulder. It was clear he was struggling with whatever he had to say, because he was breathing quite irregularly. The werewolf put an arm around him.

"Calm down," he said smoothly. "And tell me."

Draco looked away. He took a short breath. "I killed Ron Weasley." He said.

***

Harry Potter was cold. Not just because the forest was cold (which it was)… he'd put on a sweater before following Draco. And his invisibility cloak protected him a bit from the wind, but not from the words he was hearing.

Draco… Draco was there. There with Lupin, talking with Lupin, sitting with him… why? Draco was cold and strange.

And Draco had killed Ron Weasley.

Harry suddenly felt like he was going to be sick. He wasn't sure whether to throw off his cloak and kill Draco with his bare hands, or to turn and run, as far away as he could. Instead he fell to his knees in the dirt, his head throbbing, unable to think… unable to even move.

***

"I know." Said Lupin.

Draco looked up at him. There were tears in his eyes. "You do?"

"Yes. I found your knife. The one with the rose."

"You… you're not angry with me?"

Lupin sighed. "No. But I want you to tell me exactly what happened. Exactly WHY it happened."

Draco sniffed. "Okay. I was… that night I followed Weasley back to his common room."

"Why?"

"I wanted to see what was up with him and Granger. They'd been fighting. Badly. They were both crying. I couldn't help but be curious, so I followed them through the portrait hole. They started having this screaming row… Granger eventually left. I guess Weasley heard me take a step, and pulled be out from where I was hiding. He was really angry, yelling at me. I guess I said something stupid and he hit me, threw me really hard against the wall. I was dizzy, and I couldn't find my wand, so I pulled out the knife. It was all I had. I waved it at him… I didn't mean to actually cut him… but he grabbed at me and I fought back. I cut his left wrist, cut his arm open from hand to elbow. It was a sharp knife. He just looked at me. I guess my head had hit the wall pretty hard, because I couldn't see him clearly. He said to me, 'why don't you just finish the job?' and he grabbed my hand holding the knife, and drew it across the other wrist. I dropped the knife and I ran out of the room." He stopped. There were tears coursing down his cheeks. 

"Draco." Said Lupin softly. "What happened before Hermione left?"

"Weasley… told Granger that he loved her. And she said she didn't love him. She looked sad. She said she was sorry, but he just screamed at her. Then she left."

Lupin sighed. "You didn't kill him, Draco."

"I didn't?"

"No. He killed himself."

"Oh." Draco wiped his tears on the sleeve of his robe. "Remus… why didn't you turn me in, if you thought I did it? You could have saved Granger."

Lupin looked at him. "Because I love you." He flinched. He hadn't known till he had said it.

Draco looked at him in disbelief. "You… that's not… _nobody loves me. How is that possible? I've been horrid to you."_

Lupin smiled sadly. "You brought out something in me I've been missing for a long time. You have… passion in you, unequalled. A spark. You're not as bad as you try to be, Draco. You're not like your father."

The boy was silent for a moment. Then he turned, squinted up at the sky. "It's almost moonrise. About midnight. I don't want to go back just yet… will you stay with me?" he looked up imploringly at Lupin, but Lupin was no longer looking at him.

"Draco…" he gasped. "Get out of here. Now."

"Why?" he verged on indignant.

"I've been here four days, four days before… Draco you have to leave…"

"No!" he said, as Lupin also got to his feet. "You said you loved me! You said I wasn't bad! Why are you sending me away?" he looked like he was going to cry again. He grabbed Lupin's hand. And felt something sharp cut his hand. He looked up at the older man, whose eyes seemed, inexplicably, to be turning… yellow.

Draco screamed, a high-pitched, carnal scream that echoed off the Pine trees, reaching far across the lake and onto the grounds of Hogwarts.

Lupin didn't say anything. He turned around, sinking his newly grown claws into the tree. "I shouldn't have come back now." His voice was a low growl. 

Draco backed away. "Remus…" he whispered. He was shaking. 

"Go." Said Lupin. "Go now, or nothing will stop me from killing you. Do you understand?"

Draco nodded, though the werewolf couldn't see him. "Did… did you mean all the things you-"

"I meant every word." Said Lupin, sounding for a moment like himself again. "Now go! GO!!"

Draco ran.

***

Harry bumped into Draco as he neared the castle, sending him sprawling. He ripped off his invisibility cloak.

"Hello Malfoy." 

Draco stared at him blankly. "What are you doing here, Potter?'

Harry looked at him hard. "I was in the forest. I followed you. I heard everything you said."

The blue-eyed boy gasped. "Potter, listen… you don't-"

But Harry smiled stiffly, and held out his hand. "It's alright. I understand."

Draco looked at him with distrust, but took the hand anyway and was pulled to his feet. A long, spine-chilling howl came from the forest. They both looked towards it, the tips of the trees glowing in the light of the full moon.

"I left after I heard your story." Said Harry slowly. "I thought I… should leave you two alone."

"Thank you." Said Draco stiffly, as if the words were foreign to his lips.

"I didn't know you knew him so well." Harry turned and started back to the castle.

Draco stared at the forest for a moment, then turned to follow Harry. "Just well enough to change my life."

Even in his vulnerable state, Draco felt light-hearted. He wasn't bad. And somebody loved him. 

He felt in spring, in bloom. So like a rose.

***

End! :)

Sorry if it was a bit sleazy. I knocked it off in a few days. Please be kind, reviewers!

"I don't know how to love him,

I don't know why he moves me.

He's a man, he's just a man…

He is not a king, he's just the same

As anyone I know…

He scares me so.

When he's cold and dead, will he let me be?

Does he love me too? Does he care for me…?"

***

The Challenge:

- An HP romance, brought on by a killing

- The victim of the killing must be a Weasley 

- The romantic pairing MAY NOT involve Harry. 

- The pairing in question must be male/male 

- Hermione must be wrongfully imprisoned 

- It must be sad, sweet, and a little bit scary (hey, come on, I tried!)

- There must be evil plots overheard involving someone in Harry's year

- The fic may not be a 'Porn without Plot' 

- These words and phrases must appear in alphabetical order:

Animosity

Ass Cabin

Information

Mellow Yellow 

Prestidigitation.

- The rating can be high or low

- Keep it between 1000 and 5000 words.


End file.
